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Fable: The Return Chapter 29
Teach me to be a Hero. Chapter 29 "Just teach me…just teach me to be a Hero." Henry's voice echoes through the King's mind still. Over and over, in the darkness of his memories it replays. The cycle begins anew just as it ends. Teach me to be a Hero. "You have done well, Hero." Theresa's soft voice booms through the darkness. "Theresa?! You're alive!" He hears his voice, but does not see. He does not know what happened to the icy waters of the ice pack and darting through the skull of the kraken. "I am, what you saw in the marshes was merely a trick by the banshee. I am alive and well, and still in control of the Spire." "Where am I?" "You are with me, Hero. Although not as we have usually met. Much has changed since you have left. The Court have taken a position of power within the nature of the world itself. The amount of Will that circulates throughout the world and into the Spire has dwindled drastically. My powers have dwindled with it, I am only able to send you my voice and no longer a projection of my person. For now you are being held in time, in a state of darkness where you cannot see anything. It is much like being blind, do not worry…you will return soon." "Why have you brought me here?" "There is something you and I must discuss. Much as they did on their first conquest of Albion, The Court have burned the land, flooded it, and enslaved the minds of your people. Darkness has fallen over the land of Albion, its people now bow to three shadows that roam the land, changing bodies at will. The have not moved to take control over Aurora, Samarkand, or the lands to the far east. I feel that they have a vendetta against Albion, or against you. This has led me to believe that they know you have the Queen's mask. They will make their move on the Northern Wastes soon. And it will not take them long to get there." "What you're telling me is that I need to move fast?" "I'm telling you that you need to be careful. I have told you for decades that your decisions and actions will change the world around you whether they be for good or evil purpose. You will meet the Court in battle, and you will be challenged. It is likely that you will fall in this battle. If your body does not fail you, they will force your mind to cripple i order for you to succumb to their bewitchings. There will be choices to make that will change the world before this is over. The choices will fall on your shoulders alone, and they will be difficult." "How do you know these things?" "For the centuries I spent in darkness before I found your father, I became obsessed with studying The Court, Jack of Blades especially. The obsession was out of burning passion, but over the years it soothed and I found calm in the mountains. In my research, I learned of how the Court treated the people of Albion who did not bend to their powers. They would torment their minds by typing with their emotions in the most drastic of ways. Creatures born of evil, older than the water that covers the world, darker than night…they do not have limits, they do not have cares for who they hurt. They want one thing, and that is control over everything. But they have changed, they are not going after the world just yet. They are waiting for something, for you. I believe you will be the the first that they will torture, the first to be made as an example. The King of Albion…they want you to squirm before their might, they crave it." "I see. Is there any way I can beat them?" "Do not, under any circumstances let them put on the masks. Only then will you have a chance." "I understand. Where will the Knight's mask be?" "There is a man in Snowspire Village who will be able to help you, he is a scholar who studies Old Kingdom artifacts. If anyone in the North knows where to find the mask, it's him." "I will find him, and I will take the Knight's mask before The Court can. I will have beaten them twice already at that point. They will not win, Theresa…I promise." "I have faith in you, Hero. As does your son." "Henry?" "What you did in your battle with the kraken, Henry saw you. If anything can inspire a man to be heroic, it is what you did this day by slaying the beast under the ice. But know this once more…every choice you make will change the world around you. In your efforts to show your son that you are a Hero, you killed a kraken. This kraken had been imprisoned under the ice and within a forcefield of Will, keeping it within the ice pack. For many years, it has been the backup defense for the North if ever an adversary were to get beyond the ice. Now all that stands between The Northern Wastes and the rest of the world is a plain of ice sitting atop the sea. A man is inspired, and possibly set on a path to save the world, but a great creature of the world dies at the cost. Always remember this, Hero. It is up to you to decide what is best for the world, or for you. You can be noble, uncaring, or malevolent. That is your choice…it has always been." "Will he be a Hero like me?" "No, not like you. He will be a Hero, but he will be incomparable to you." "I see. When all this is done, will I be able to go home and truly teach him to be a Hero?" "As I said, that is for you to decide in the end. His future is in your hands now. and now, you must return to him. You must continue on your journey to the North, Hero. Now go." He hears the sound of water in his ears, he feels the chill of the icy water covering his body. He floats lifeless in the cold water until a group of hands grab his arms, he feels himself being lifted out of the water. The king coughs up a mixture of water and kraken blood onto the ice he now rests on. Several minutes pass for him to collect himself, his thoughts, and for his vision to finally return to him. Reaver and Henry stand over him. Henry is smiling as the king opens his eyes, and Reaver takes the time to whack his cane into the side of the king's head. "Father…" "Well, he looks fine to me. Let's move along then, shall we? Oh pick him up, somebody, we're not just going to leave the man on the ice. Tally ho!"